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Racism Report 2004 Cases: Police Page 19
she’s doing there at this hour, she’s insulted by them and told “to get her act together and speak German properly”.
Ms. A. feels intimidated and threatened by the two men’s aggressive manner and calls the police. In the meantime
the two men receive reinforcement by two more tenants. When the police arrive they listen to the testimony of those
present but in spite of Ms. A’s insistence they won’t make a report. At the station no-one is prepared to record the
incident either. By now Ms. A. feels even more intimidated because neither her fears nor those of her son are taken
seriously. ZARA sends a letter of complaint to the police and files a report with the public prosecution office but so
far without a response. A complaint at the district’s citizen support centre results at least in a personal meeting.
On a morning in January 2004 Mr. T. is on his way to his car which is parked in the street he lives on. While 93
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walking along he is arrested by two police officers who believe he is the person who on the previous day had wilfully
scratched all cars on the street. Mr. T., the only immigrant living on this street in the 13th district, explains that his car
was also scratched. Apparently however, several of the inhabitants had seen an “Arab” which seems reason enough
to the officers to arrest Mr. T. ZARA accompanies Mr. T. to the interrogation. Later a meeting is organised with the
complaints officer and the commander of the department at which we’re told that everything was fine and that it
was probably just a misunderstanding. Nonetheless Mr. T. receives a penalty court order. Another meeting takes place
with the complaints officer. ZARA writes an appeal on Mr. T’s behalf against the court order which is subsequently
suspended.
On August 24, 2004, Mr. G. reports the following: At 6:30 pm several police officers cross the green on 94
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Vienna’s Heldenplatz and approach a group of Africans to take them to a collection point. The roundup is exclusively
directed against people with dark skin. Mr. G. and several other people follow the officers to observe what is going
on. App. ten African men and women are taken inside a police van where they obviously undergo a search for drugs.
In the course of the activity their papers are also thoroughly checked. Because of the number of witnesses present
the impolite treatment of the people concerned and the quite racist statements made initially soon stop and the
control is carried out correctly. ZARA expresses its thanks for the report and documents it.
For the second time in a week Ms. K. witnesses a police roundup at the Vienna Heldenplatz. All people with 95
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dark skin have their I.D. checked and are apparently subject to personal searches because they are led one by one to
a police van with a search cabin. When Ms. K. wants to know what’s going on, the police tell her that it’s none of
her business, to move on or else she’d be checked as well. Only when an increasing number of people express their
interest in the incident, they are referred to the officer in charge. He informs them that it was a roundup in search
for drugs. When he’s asked why only people with dark skin are checked, the officer doesn’t answer.
On August 19, 2004, Ms. L. reports that she keeps observing police controls at the Votivpark in Vienna and 96
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that they are exclusively directed against people with dark skin. Backpacks are searched for no apparent reason and
sometimes the people concerned are told to leave the park. When no searches take place, the park is observed by
the police. It is however clear that the police activity is exclusively directed against black people. ZARA documents
the report.
Ms. M. witnesses an arrest during which four officers force a young man with black skin to lie on the 97
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ground and freeze him. A passer-by tells her that the four men who had not identified themselves as police had
also beaten the young man. The passer-by had already called the police. After another ten minutes two uniformed
officers arrive and take the young man with them. The same incident is reported to ZARA by another witness. With
the approval of the two witnesses ZARA writes a letter to the Federal Police Department. It turns out that there is
no record of the incident. ZARA then sends a letter to the Federal Ministry of Interiors and is currently awaiting a
reply.
On April 27, 2004, Ms. P. is sitting on a park bench in the Vienna Resselpark and eating her lunch; sitting 98
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next to her is a group of men who are quietly doing the same. She assumes that they are immigrants. A police officer
walks up to the men and without saying a word he picks up one of the rucksacks and searches it. Finally he says:
“Pack off!” upon which the men pack their lunch and leave. Unfortunately the police officer disappeared too quickly
for Ms. P. to ask him for the reason of his behaviour. Ms. P. writes a letter of complaint to the Minister of Interiors,
Mr. Strasser, and contacts ZARA. ZARA writes a letter of complaint to the Federal Police Department which promptly
replies: “… because of your report a complaint investigation was initiated. The location mentioned by you is regularly
patrolled by officers of different units as part of drug patrols, among them by the police dog department. In the
course of our investigation all members of the police stations of the first and the fifth district were questioned with
regard to your complaint. The incident in question couldn’t be attributed as none of the officers had any memory of
it. The internal records showed no evidence either that any such official act took place …”